Willie Nelson Collaborates With Sons Lukas and Micah for ‘Willie Nelson and the Boys’

In the second installment of his Willie’s Stash series of archival recordings, country icon Willie Nelson is set to debut Willie Nelson and the Boys in October. The record will find Nelson teaming up with his sons Micah and Lukas.

The follow-up project to 2014’s first Willie's Stash release, December Day, Willie Nelson and the Boys showcases Nelson and his two sons, both talented musicians in their own rights, singing country classics. The album will feature seven recordings of songs written by Hank Williams alongside other classics such as "Can I Sleep in Your Arms” and “My Tears Fall.” Most of the record's 12 tracks were recorded in 2011 at Pedernales Recordings Studio in Austin, Texas.

Nelson describes Willie Nelson and the Boys as “kinda like the country version of Stardust": “You have all these great songs and standards that the young people have never heard,” he explains in a press release. “Then all of a sudden you have a whole new audience out there.”

Willie Nelson and the Boys is due out on Oct. 20. Readers can press play below to see a music video for "Can I Sleep in Your Arms," which features the Nelsons performing the song at Pedernales Recordings Studio, and discussing the eldest Nelson's decision to let his sons find music naturally, rather than pushing them toward it.

"I knew one day y'all would probably sit down and start playing, and sure enough ..." Willie Nelson says, to which Lukas Nelson adds, "I figured the one thing that would be able to bring us together was if I learned how to play real well."

It’s been a busy few years for the Nelson men, both of whom are pursuing music careers independent of their father’s legacy: Lukas Nelson, alongside his band Promise of the Real, recently released a self-titled album, on which Micah Nelson makes multiple appearances as an instrumentalist, to a great deal of critical acclaim. Micah Nelson is also the singer and guitarist in a folk-y project called Particle Kid.